Creo Simulate vs. Solidworks Simulation?

lococnc · ‎Jan 03, 2012

Anyone know of a point by point comparison of these two products?

K2 · ‎Dec 01, 2018

I could have a stab, but two things. Creo Simulate is quite limited compared with the likes of Ansys, and badly crippled if you have the cheaper licence, but will do a good and accurate linear analysis of simple parts and assemblies thanks to its p-elements and a robust mesher. Solidworks Simulation on the other hand, while very similar on paper, is by comparisson a challenge to mesh with, and contained until recently at least one bug that was so serious that the product should be recalled and subjected to an independent expert review. No professional should touch it.

gfraulini · ‎Dec 02, 2018

Except from this serious problem, which kind of analysis can one done on the SW's simulator?

K2 · ‎Dec 02, 2018

Solidworks (SW) professional has some FE function bundled within it.

Beyond that Simulation (SIM) has three purchase options: SIM Standard (lowest), Professional and Premium (highest).

Something akin to 'Creo Simulate Standard' functionality can be achieved with 'SW Standard plus SIM Professional'

For 'Advance licence Creo Simulate' functionality you'd need SW Standard plus SIM Premium.

You'd gain very little for your money if you added SIM Standard to SW Professional.

And SIM Premium is expensive for the gain beyond Professional.

SW Premium can do Linear FE (not used SW Premium on real jobs, so can't comment further).

SIM Standard adds Fatigue (that's about all).

SIM Professional adds Contacts, Frequency (modal), Buckling, Drop test, pressure Vessel Design and Thermal
and you can simulate bolts, springs, welds, bearings. (I think it allows more control over bolted friction than Creo/Sumulate standard licence, which is cynically crippled in that aspect).

SIM Premium adds Non-linear, Dynamic and Composites.

I don't know about SIM Standard,but SIM Professional allows P-elements (which to me is the best thing about Creo/Simulate). SW/SIM calls them Blended Curvature-Based Mesh.

SW/SIM also seems to make analysis of mixed solid/sheet metal assemblies very easy, albeit with a suspicion of 'do I trust the result?'

Also, while SW/SIM data-sharing is as seamless as Creo/Simulate, to keep every analysis-run for posterity, which Creo does automatically, requires you to Pack-and-Go, otherwise any design modifications mess up the last run giving you red and yellow warning symbols all over what you thought was a saved milestone in your development.

In addition the meshing is more hands-on (like Ansys) than Creo. SIM runs fast enough, perhaps too fast to instil confidence.

I hope this helps?

gfraulini · ‎Jan 20, 2020

SIM Premium adds Non-linear, Dynamic and Composites.

Could you deepen what Non-linear analysis does?
In Creo you can do this kind of analysis only for small displacements.

K2 · ‎Jan 22, 2020

Hi, I'm sorry I can't as neither my Creo Simulate or SW Simulation licences permit non-linear analysis. It would be nice to have. I wish I'd put the money I spend on SW Simulation into upgrading my Creo Simulate licence.

K2 · ‎Jan 19, 2020

I have both. I bought SW Simulation as I was grumpy with the service from Creo. Mistake. Here is a huge bug I found in Simulation. (It's been fixed since on SPR#: 1065280). 1. Apply a force to a part in an assy. 2. Mesh it, but find it won't apply p-elements ('blended curvature based mesh' in SW) because you have to treat the sheet part as solid. 3. Change to solid. 4. Reapply force because 'it has dropped off'. 5. Mesh it, solve etc. 6. Result is rubbish. 7. Discover that the force did not drop off; it disappeared when the sheet to solid change was made because a menu changes and the force is still there but hidden in the earlier menu. Result reapplied force doubles the force without it being apparent. Two comments on this. i.) It's a pitiful and unforgiveable bug to have in a 'professional tool'. ii.) How did so many SW users not spot this? I have to conclude that few people with SW Simulation available to them actually trust it enough to throw real tasks at it. (I've met some). This is not the case with Creo Simulate. Ok, the bug has been fixed, but would you trust something that was that flawed as recently as 2018?